


Skittle Friend-Zone

by RubyDracoGirl



Series: The Out-Code Files [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Bara Sans (Undertale), F/M, Friendzone, He's a bit of a voyeur too, Ink is a bored boy, Ink is a flirty bastard, Ink is a tall boy, Ink!Sans - Freeform, Might make some AU Sans cameos, Reader is a lonely bean, Reader is called Author, Reader is short and curvy, Slice of Life, There's gonna be some dirty humor, sorta - Freeform, swearing too, we'll see
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2020-06-03 11:36:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19463167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RubyDracoGirl/pseuds/RubyDracoGirl
Summary: The story of the beginning of Ink and Author's friendship, back when they were "just friends".





	1. Breaking The Fourth Wall

**Author's Note:**

> So, I don't know how this is going to go. There won't be smut, that I know of, but it's gonna get dirty. Dirty humor, some inappropriate moments, and lots of flirting.
> 
> The origin story of the Rain-bone Zone.

Your life had been pretty dull before Ink came crashing in like a rainbow bulldozer.

As far as your career went, you wrote for a small magazine company, did articles and small short stories, mostly romantic bullshit that the lady subscribers ate up. You worked from home, which was just fine with you… but often, you felt dismal, like you were missing out on something.

One day, when you were scribbling a quick little doodle on your notebook, you’d let your pen rest, as you’d paused in thought, wishing that you had the experience to back up these stupid romances you wrote about.

And suddenly, weirdly, as though granting your dumb wish, your pen suddenly began to overflow dramatically, black ink spilling out uncontrollably, all over your paper, all over the table, and like a magic portal, a figure was forcefully hurled through, smashing against your ceiling and then flopping onto the hardwood floor with a groan.

“Oh damn.” A husky, baritone voice that tickled your ears tantalizingly grunted out loud, as the figure, mostly humanoid and dressed in cargo pants, a tan shirt and a brown scarf with black splotches, stood up and brushed himself off, standing very much above your own measly height.

You’d stared, jolting to your feet at the intrusion, unable to speak; your jaw gaping and closing like a fish gasping for water.

It was a _skeleton_. Not just _any_ skeleton. It was INK-MOTHER-LOVING-SANS.

_What… how…Ok, this definitely isn’t real, who the hell slipped hallucinogens into my coffee?_ You’d thought dumbly, swearing to never buy that small brand name ever again.

He finally took a look around, and his heterochromia sockets met yours.

Oh god.

You had _such_ a soft spot for him, feeling that he was just a precious, cute, _adorable_ …

There was a loud thudding in your chest, as your heart began to beat faster.

Oh GOD, he was _hot._

EXTREMELY HOT.

Your face flushed as he’d stared at you in silence before he finally grinned, a little awkwardly. Ink didn’t really… look or sound at all how’d you’d pictured him before.

“Hi there. You’re a human, right? That’s hilarious. My name’s Ink.” He greeted you with happily squinting sockets.

“I know.” You replied dumbly, your voice cracking.

His face lit up at your admission and he looked around with growing elation.

“I did it! I broke the fourth wall! YES!” he pumped his fist excitedly before freezing, his head snapping wildly over to you, he’d teleported to your side, measuring his height with growing excitement.

“I’m _tall_ in the real world! Oh HELL yes!” he laughed raucously and you blinked, grateful for the chair behind you as you sat down hard. This… this was _real._

You could no longer deny it, your pants were _wet_ and _cold_ , from the ink spilling over your table, and you could _feel_ sweat dripping and itching down your back. It was a hot summer day outside, and your windows were open, since you didn't have A/C. The sensations you felt were _all too real._

Ink frowned at your silent staring and scratched the back of his skull awkwardly, casting his gaze cutely to the floor, “Oh, aw geez, I’m not, heh, I’m not trying to _scare_ you, ma'am… _are_ humans scared of magic skeletons in the real world?”

“… I think a good portion of them would want to _kiss_ a magic skeleton.” You’d replied weakly, with an accepting grin and Ink laughed, his shoulders relaxing, as though you’d told a joke, “I’ll take that to mean that you aren’t actually afraid of me!”

He paused, as he looked at the ink-soaked paper on your table, his face suddenly scrunching into a frown.

“Oh damn, I did that, didn’t I? Sorry about the mess….what were you making?” he’d asked, full of interest.

You explained your current job and added softly, “I just… I’m losing my inspiration. Writing just doesn't seem to come to me as easily as it did before I did it as a job.”

Ink frowned; he hated it when artists lost their drive. She was a writer… but _surely_ there was a connection, between writing and drawing, in terms of creation.

The intrepid Skeleton frowned, cupping his hand to his chin in what you could see was a very thoughtful gesture that clearly explained why he _always_ had that stain of ink on his cheek.

“Hmm… Say, why don’t you read to me what you’ve written? Yeah, and then I can tell you what I think!” Ink grinned excitedly as he pulled out a pad and pencil from his jacket. He paused, putting his tool away as he sheepishly added, “After I help you clean this up.”

He took out his giant brush and began to mop up the black puddles… The brush seemed to act like a sponge, sucking up all the ink that had spilled. It was almost like he was refilling the giant brush.

To your surprise, there wasn’t a speck of the mess left when he was done, and Ink casually grabbed a chair and settled down, swiping an apple from a bowl of fruit on your counter as he grinned, leaning in, “Alright, I’m ready.”

By the end of your reading, Ink had eaten all of the fruit that was in the bowl, chewing thoughtfully as he listened. You were surprised that he didn’t interrupt once.

He swallowed his mouthful and licked his teeth with a- OH GOD, HIS TONGUE REALLY WAS RAINBOW-TINTED

You stared, unable to help it as he looked at the ceiling, musing, “ it’s a good plot, but the words lack… enthusiasm. You need to get passionate about these characters! That’s your problem. The dialogue is lacking in interest.”

You blinked at the blunt honesty with which he spoke, as he wiped his hands on his jacket and yawned.

“Boy, I’m sleepy. Can I crash here? I just need a little sleep before I try getting back to the Doodlesphere. Took a lot out of me trying to get here.”

You nodded and he grinned at you, in a sweet… almost flirty way that set your nerves on fire.

“Thanks, sweetheart, you’re a real lifesaver.” he'd winked playfully. God, how could he be so cute and yet so hot at the same time, it wasn't _fair._

You blushed, as he threw himself onto your couch and instantly fell asleep, his breathing light and peaceful.

As you thought about his words, you looked to your stack of writing, your soul thumping and a vague, determined feeling slamming into you as you scrapped the story and started over, writing furiously. You were determined to beat this funk you were in, to gain Ink's approval. It had felt like he really did like your story, it just needed more o _omph._

When Ink finally woke up, an hour and a half later, you’d just finished writing the rest of the story.

He yawned, looking refreshed, he sat down and smirked, “You look like the cat that got the cream.”

You felt shy, as he grinned at you, and hesitantly, you spoke.

“I… I rewrote it. Can I…” 

“YES! Please read it!” Ink chuckled, grinning at your red face, he’d added with a wink, “Don’t be shy, please share what you’ve written! I won’t bite!” and he flashed his teeth at you-OH GOD, he had _fangs_ _hhng_!

You set your eyes on your story and began to read out loud, nervous at first, but your voice grew in confidence, as you slipped into your story, feeling stronger with each syllable. This time, Ink was rapt, his blue and yellow heterochromia eye-lights swelling in his sockets and twinkling with enthusiasm as you spoke.

At the end of the story, he was silent and you waited, for a harsh criticism.

“… Would you mind _very much_ if I… if I came here often? In the future? To, uh, help you with your stories? Because I really enjoyed your reading.” Ink finally spoke, his voice awed and reverent.

You stared at him, before your face broke into a grin.

“Yes, I’d like that, very much Ink!” You giggled happily.

He grinned, as he slapped his brush down on the ground, creating a portal, he chuckled, “Then, until next time, Dear Author! Geronimo!”

You blinked as he jumped into the portal on the ground, the dark puddle vanishing along with him as though it had never existed to begin with.

You heart began to thud audibly again, and your jaw clenched as your emotions smacked your brain around.

Dear.

God.

You had a crush.

…

On a Soulless Skeleton.


	2. Sunflower Blooms and Dirty Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Author works in her garden. Ink makes some inappropriate gardening jokes... and other inappropriate jokes too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is short. most of these will probably be short, lol

A week after Ink had broken through the apparent 4th wall, you'd been forced to put down your writing to work outside. Summer was in full swing, and your garden had, somehow, survived your inept care.

It was a hot day, and you were grateful that you lived in a place that had so many trees, providing you with privacy. You almost shrieked when Ink appeared beside you, chuckling as he leaned casually on his giant brush, smirking at you.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you, Author." he chuckled, before tilting his head and looking at your work.

"... you're a gardener?" he asked, surprised.

"W-well, no, not really. This is my first time." you'd explained, a little shyly.

He grinned, snickering playfully, "A garden virgin, huh? That's a cute cherry to pop."

You opened your mouth, blushing and stammering before you blurted, "Sh-shut up, Ink, oh my god!"

He laughed at your red blushing face, teasing, "Aw, you are just the _cutest_. Don't fluster so easily, sweetheart."

You blinked at the term and went back to your gardening, still red in the face. God, Ink was flirty.

He crouched beside you, watching with interest as sweat rolled down your round face.

"Hmm... you know, you have a nice face. Can I draw you?" he finally asked, pulling out his notepad and pencil and settling down to sit in the soil. You blushed and shrugged, "Sure, Ink. Just, uh, I'm not gonna stay still ok?"

"That's fine, I'm a pro. A little movement's not gonna stop me." Ink snickered, already sketching into his pad, his eyes flying from you to the paper by degrees. In spite of what you said, you did try to maintain the same pose, curious about how he saw you.

Of course you _had_ to be wearing your baggiest, most unattractive clothing you had. Your hat shaded your eyes, and as you plucked some cucumbers from the vines that were flourishing before you, you heard Ink snicker in amusement.

"Heh heh, Scythe would have some jokes about that, I'd bet anything." Ink chuckled aloud and you frowned before nearly dropping the cucumber, turning so red, you thought your head would explode. Did... was he talking about Farm!Sans!?

And if he was... oh fuck. You gazed with horror at your cucumbers, wondering if you'd ever see them the same way again.

Ink chuckled huskily, taking note of your dramatic responses, "Wow, you fluster a lot. Are my jokes too much?"

"N-no, I just... you're usually portrayed being really... sorta air-headed. So, uh, it's just a little... weird, hearing vaguely dirty humor from you." You replied, with a sort of laugh, still a little flushed. So... he knew what he was talking about.

Well now, wasn't _that_ food for thought?

Ink's face scrunched, his sockets hooding at you as he chuckled, "That's not very surprising to hear, actually. My friends, Swap and Dream, are pretty innocent themselves, so, I don't like to make dirty jokes around _them_ so much. Although, Swap lost his cherry not too long ago. Poor guy, it didn't really go well. But, I'm sure that he's going to be ok, he just needs some time."

Your heart swelled and you gasped, "That's awful! Who would hurt him?"

"Oh, she was some sort of nasty harpy." Ink replied, "Don't worry, in that AU, she'll _definitely_ get what's coming to her."

Only partially satisfied, you moved on from the cucumbers to your tomatoes, twisting and pulling the fruit away from their branches, you hummed softly. Ink began to grin again, as he finished the sketch he'd drawn of you.

"Can I see it?" you asked, and he smirked, "Only if you show me yours."

...

"OH MY GOD, Ink!" you blurted, laughing way too hard, what a fucking dirt wad.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding, heheh... that'll be 50 G though." He replied smugly.

"Pfft, keep your stupid picture! It's of me, so it's _definitely_ not worth 50 g." You'd snickered back.

He frowned, "Excuse me, it's _my_ art, and now, just for that bit of negativity, it's worth _500_ g."

You were about to respond when you realized he'd thrown a compliment at both himself and you.

...

You flushed and whirled on him wildly.

"What's with that look?" he cocked his head at you, and your heart fluttered. He really was cute, as well as hot, and it was extremely unfair. 

"I just... uh, no one's ever... ever told me something so nice like that." you replied softly.

He looked at you with surprise.

"That's weird. I mean, don't get me wrong, but, uh, I can appreciate some aesthetics. And yours are really nice."

You stared, your eyes wide as he grinned and winked, "So, uh, about that 5000 G-"

You grabbed your hose and shot some water at him and he leapt away, laughing as he teased, "You missed!"

You kept trying to hit him, surprised when he whirled his brush and created a water-gun, already full of water.

The two of you laughed and battled, running in the sun.

A hour later, he was sitting in your kitchen, sweating and laughing heartily, as you nursed a bruise on your knee.

"It's not funny!" you complained to him. You'd tackled him to the ground, but in doing so, had bruised your knee against his bones.

"...It's a little funny." he'd replied smugly, "Guess you could say you got a little boned!" He gave you finger guns, smirking in triumph as you giggled angrily, "Damn it, Ink!"

He chuckled and shook his head, drying off with the towel you'd thrown at him.

"Well, this was really fun. But, I gotta go. Glad I got to spend some time with you." he smirked, putting a paper down on your table before swirling his brush agains the floor, creating a portal.

"See you later, Author! Let me know if you have any more cherries to pop!"

You sputtered as he disappeared, before really noticing the paper on the table. Your eyes widened. It was his picture. There was unmistakably you, dressed in your baggy clothes, your eyes focused on your task and your sunflowers standing in the background behind you.

You... looked beautiful.

Wildly, your head snapped towards the floor where he'd disappeared, your heart thumping wildly. This Skeleton was gonna be the death of you. You already knew there was no way that he could love you. He had no SOUL.

So why did he make your heart flutter like this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *snickers* God, I love flirty Ink


	3. Emotions and Sensations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ink pays you another visit and drives you back to writing.
> 
> You realize that there's more to him then you previously thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna try to get more of this posted, to supplement RBZ. Freaking loved writing this more innocent interaction with my Rainbow Asshole.

Ink had grown bored. He was standing in his Doodlesphere, a pencil gripped precariously in his teeth, as he looked over a blank sheet of paper.

He briefly frowned before spitting the pencil out, grumbling,” It’s been too quiet around here.”

As he sat back on the ground, his phalanges pressed to his mandible in thought, he smirked softly, as he noticed a grass stain on his cargo pants. It was a stain from when he’d visited you, that last time, and had romped with you in your garden.

_God, that had been so much fun._ It had been… Stars, nearly two weeks since he had visited? Ink stood excitedly to his feet, grinning temporal bone to temporal bone.

“I know! I’ll pay Author a visit! Maybe she’s got some more writing to share!”

Chuckling to himself, as he swirled his brush against the ground, Ink dove energetically into the portal he'd created. It hadn’t been easy, breaking the fourth wall that first time, and he had yet to share his discovery with Swap. Swap had been awfully busy, here lately.

Which was part of the reason it was so quiet. Dream knew about the fourth wall, however. In fact, it was because of Dream that Ink had even had the thought to check out the place. Dream claimed that people from this strange place were vibrant in ways that other AUs just weren’t.

_“That’s kinda hard to believe, but whatever you say, Dream boy.”_ Ink had chuckled carelessly.

Now, as he stepped through the black portal and into the house that you lived in, he called out softly, “Hello? Author? It’s me, Ink!”

He was struck by the absolute lack of silence.

Music was playing somewhere, echoing through the house quite loudly, and he grinned, as he heard you singing along.

_“Well we thought we’d lost you,_

_we thought you was down and out and you couldn’t see_

_Turns out that I was wrong, here, and you are much stronger than me”_

The music was upbeat and pulsing, and Ink crossed the room softly, curious, as he peered around the corner. You were in your room, brushing your hair and using the brush as a pretend microphone, swaying softly to the song.

_“So when we go out tonight,_

_we will lift you high, and I’ll be by your side_

_Cause you know that you’ve survived_

_A wild, wild ride,_

_A wild, wild, ride_

You twirled, your hair fluttering like silk strands and Ink tilted his head, his sockets captivated by those locks.

Stars… you really did have some nice aesthetics.

Swaying softly, you continued singing,

" _And in this adventure, there may be things that you cannot predict_

_And behind every doorway, there may be shadows,_

_but they’ll never stay_

_Cause you are a force to be reckoned with,_

_you are a dreamer, a saint, stronger then wire_

_And you won’t be defeated by,_

_any crooks, any thieves, any liars!”_

Your voice rose in tone, out of tune but passionate in emotion, and Ink gave a low chuckle, as the sound went right through him, giving him an odd twitch.

Apparently, you heard his chuckle, because you turned with a shriek and threw your brush at him.

“Hey!” Ink dodged the brush quite easily, laughing, “Oops, sorry, didn’t mean to _spook_ you.”

“Ink, you asshole!” You’d scolded, flushed. You were hardly dressed. It was barely 7 a.m. and you were just trying to get your day started.

“Aw, come on, Author, I did call out, to see if you were home!” Ink laughed, crossing his arms.

You noticed a slight rainbow hue spreading over his off-white zygomatic bones, and the sight of his blush absolutely flushed your body with blood.

“Uh, I, uh, I’m not dressed yet.” You confessed, your eyes sinking to the ground as you crossed your arms over your chest. Nope, you were definitely not dressed modestly.

A bright orange camisole covered your top, and you had your purple compression shorts… which were really short.

…obscenely short.

“Pfft, you’re not naked.” Ink wriggled his brow bones, “You look just fine. Downright _peachy.”_

“I’m serious Ink,” you replied wryly, “go wait in the kitchen, give me like, 5 minutes, ok?”

“Pfft, fine. Gonna bet anything you don’t have anything I haven’t already seen!” he teased as he chuckled and closed your door.

You opened your mouth before shutting it tight, your cheeks hot with that train of thought.

_… Did he really just insinuate-_

You shook your head and quickly slipped on a t-shirt and regular jeans.

… as an after thought, you added a bra, underneath your shirt. Didn’t want him to see your nip-nops, which were bound to poke out at some point.

With a satisfied grunt, you smoothed your shirt over your bra and grumbled, slapping your hair into a messy bun as you walked back outside.

Your eyes widened in horror when you saw Ink rummaging in your kitchen, holding your coveted pistachio gelato with a curious expression.

“Hey, HEY! Hands off my gelato!” you screeched at him, running full force, you tried to take the small container of frozen goodness from him.

He merely held it easily out of your reach, chuckling, “ Oh, is this important to you?”

“Yes!” You huffed, jumping and trying to climb his body, scrabbling for his arm.

Ink was laughing like an absolute bastard, as he pushed you away with his other hand, keeping the cold treat up and away from you with absolutely no difficulty.

“Hmmm, maybe we could come to an arrangement?” he snorted, as he grinned at your annoyed expression.

“… Ok, I’m listening.” You growled, waiting to hear his stupid proposition.

“You read me what you’ve written since I’ve seen you, and I’ll give your gelato back, but only _after_ you read to me.”

Ink chuckled deviously, as you huffed at him in irritation.

“Seriously? I haven’t written anything since the last time you were here.”

Ink cocked his head, actually taken by surprise.

“Wait, really?”

“Uh, yeah. I’ve been proofreading stuff for some of my fellow writers at the magazine company. Editor's been kinda swamped. I'm still getting paid, but I haven’t had time to write anything.” you admitted sheepishly.

Ink’s sockets narrowed and his mandible tightened with determination.

“That’s won’t do. C’mon!”

He dropped the gelato carelessly on the counter, grabbing your hand, he pulled you to the table, setting you down in your chair.

“What do you need to get going?” he demanded.

You blinked in surprise and stammered out your tools; a dictionary/thesaurus, your laptop, some notebooks and a cup of coffee.

Ink rushed away, moving so fast, like a bunny on cocaine.

You were absolutely floored when he set all the things you needed in front of you, including a steaming cup of coffee.

You pointed to the cup, not recognizing the cute mug.

It was purple and had a – you snorted, of course it had a fart joke on it. The cute hind end of a black cat was pointed at you with a little pink heart being blown from the little 'x' that was the cat’s butthole.

“Ok, where did this come from, because I know it’s not mine.”

“Don’t worry about it! Now, anything else?” Ink demanded, as he pulled up a chair and sat on it backwards, resting his arms across the back of it.

You shook your head, feeling slightly overwhelmed by his support.

“No… this is…” you paused and gave him a lopsided grin. The stupid gremlin. How the hell had he made you so annoyed, and then so fucking happy in such a short amount of time? It was almost enough to give you emotional whiplash.

“This is perfect… now I just need you to stay out of my hair while I write. Can you do that?” you gave a grin and he smirked, “It’ll be hard to stay outta such pretty hair. But sure! I’ll just make some doodles while you work. Sound good?”

“Yeah!” you nodded.

So, the two of you settled into a comfortable silence, broken by the sound of your furious typing, and the gentle scritch-scratch of his pencil on paper.

Hours flew by, and as you put the final word in your document, you looked up to see Ink observing you.

“What?”

“… You’re really cute when you concentrate.”

You flushed and he began to laugh, “Oh my STARS, you are just too much FUN! Look how flustered you are!”

“Shut up, you inconsiderate prick.” You muttered, but you felt pleased by the compliment, you couldn’t lie.

He leaned back, as he peered at your computer screen, “may I try something?”

You quirked your brows and nodded, “Sure.”

Ink stood to his feet with excitement. You were violently _mortified_ when he grabbed his brush and smacked a dab of ink over the screen.

“INK WHAT THE FUC-“

But before you could really articulate just how much rage and confusion you felt, he took a headlong dive, and you were absolutely floored as he disappeared into your computer screen.

The ink vanished, as it did when he created his portals, and you waited, with bated breath.

Your word document suddenly had an animated image. Ink… Ink was _inside your word document._

His mandible moved, and words typed above him, in comic sans font.

“hey, what do you know? it worked!”

He ran up, the text shifting around him as he chuckled, “oh man, this is so cool! I can see your story!”

You blushed, still rather flustered at this new turn of events, as he began to look through the words and painted images.

Finally, he emerged from your computer screen, practically jumping into your lap.

“Oops, sorry. I guess that was a little awkward. But wow! I can’t believe you wrote all this so quickly!”

“I, uh, thank you!” You grinned back, feeling genuinely pleased as he added, with cheerfully, squinting sockets, “You should definitely send that to your editor! It might need some polish, but you’ve got something good there!”

You felt your heart swell with pride and Ink helped you proofread the document, suggesting improvements and catching errors, "-Like we need any more of _that_ guy-" and once the both of you reached the end, you'd sent the document to your editor.

Ink picked you up and spun you around in his exuberance, his heterochromia eyes shining and swollen with amber and sky-blue eye-lights as he laughed, "Alright! Now lets go outside!"

"W-wait, outside?" You squeaked.

"Yeah! Let's go and sketch some stuff in your garden!"

"... Um, ok." You smiled at his excitement, cocking your head, you paused and asked, "Wait, can I, uh, ask you a personal question?"

Ink tilted his left brow bone, his teeth clicking in a confused grin, "Uh, sure?""

"Um, I, uh, this might sound really rude... but you seem so excited about doing stuff with me. I um, I thought you couldn't feel emotions. How does that work?" You cringed with the words. Wow, it all sounded so bad, and really rude.

"Um, on second thought, forget I asked, I'm so sorr-"

"Don't be sorry. It's not a big deal." Ink replied, in a nonchalant tone, "I don't have a soul, that's true, and uh, my _reactions_ aren't really based off... emotions. But I can still _feel_ , if that that makes sense? Like, I can feel hunger, pain and pleasure. Things that are fun, or enjoyable, bring me... like, a sense of fulfillment? When I'm on my own, doing nothing... that's when the numbness really, uh, hits me. So, emotions, no. _Sensations_ , yes. And, if I need to feel emotions,"-he pulled up a vial of blue paint, chuckling-" I've got these bad boys."

You blinked in surprise as he smirked, "Now, enough stalling. Let's go outside."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is by Jimkata and is called "Wild Ride."  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVz3Pkjv9Uw
> 
> I highly recommend giving it a listen, it's very up-lifting.


	4. Having a Fun Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ink fights you for your Gelato.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have more fluff and fun ^^

Ink had been showing up more often, about once a week, to sit with you and talk about your writing.

He seemed really fascinated with your penchant for using words to describe your surroundings.

“You have to understand," He explained,” I’m a Sans.”

“I know that, Ink.” You chuckled, “What does _that_ have to do with _this_?”

“Well, uh, I mean, hello? I’m named after a font.”

You looked at him, as the thought rolled through your head.

“That’s why you think it’s cool that I use words to create?”

“Exactly!” he grinned lopsided, that cute tilt of his teeth sending shivers down your spine.

“So… wait…” you squinted at him.

“Can you… can you physically _see_ my words, as I speak them?”

Ink frowned and shook his head.

“Naw. You’ve got the wrong Au.” He smirked.

You decided to let that go, as he threw himself onto your couch and looked up at the ceiling, “You know, your house is pretty nice.”

“Oh thanks. It’s, uh, actually my childhood home. I bought it from my mom.” You replied, with a soft grin. It was a good thing that your mom wasn’t here to see this. She’d have a fit about a skeleton with his shoes on the couch.

It had been about a month now, since he first dropped in.

You really enjoyed his company, perhaps more than you were willing to admit. Having a soft spot for Classic Sans from Undertale to begin with only heightened the joy you felt in having someone there to talk to.

Your other friends were few and quite literally far between.

The fiction forum you were a part of would never believe this, you felt sure of it.

You only had five friends there that you talked with regularly.

The thought crossed your mind a few times, to tell them about your visitor, but you brushed it off.

Nope, Cypress would have an absolute fit about your mental health.

_And besides that,_ you thought to yourself as you watched Ink rummage through your fridge again, “ _It’s kinda nice to have him to myself._

You felt horribly selfish, and yet, you knew. Having Ink as a friend was something you really didn’t want to share.

He was like a box of springtime rain, refreshing and annoying all at once.

“Do you have any more gelato?” He pouted and you grinned at him, sneering,” None that you can have.”

“… I’ll fight you for it.” He grinned, suddenly turning on you with a challenging grin.

You blinked at the sudden playfulness his tone had taken and you stammered, “F-fight!?”

The world went dark and you entered an encounter.

Ink stood before you, larger than life, chuckling, “I win this fight, you give me your gelato! You win, uh-”

“If I win, you have to draw me a picture of my choosing!” you replied back, your heart rising in excitement. Oh, this was going to be _fun._ You could sense the playfulness, rolling off of Ink in waves, and you felt confident he wouldn’t hurt you.

Now, then, time to **ACT.**

***Check**

***Tease Ink about his rainbow blush**

***Hit Ink with a pillow**

***Tell Ink your true feelings**

You blushed and slid away from that last option, before looking at Ink with a smirk, “Do leprechauns harass you when you blush?”

Ink sputtered and recovered, chuckling darkly, “Oh-ho, you’re _in_ for it now!”

He swirled his brush lazily at you and you were instantly covered with pink paint.

“Pink’s the color of passion.” He chuckled at you with a smirk, and you felt your stomach flip and your heart hammered in your chest, as you felt an immeasurable desire to… _you turned so red under the pink paint._

Time to **ACT** again!

***Check**

***Tease Ink more about his blush**

***Hit Ink with a pillow**

***Tell Ink your true feelings**

You grabbed a pillow and threw it soundly, hitting Ink square in the face.

A loud " **POMF"** resounded and you giggled as the pillow slid off his face, leaving him bewildered.

He blinked rapidly before he pulled a devious smirk, “Oh, it’s ON.” And he instantly created ten different pillows with his brush, hurling them at you in quick succession as they took form in the air, swinging his brush like a baseball bat.

It wasn’t easy but you managed to dodge all the pillows.

Last time to **ACT**.

***Check**

***Tease Ink about his horrible aim**

***Offer the Gelato as a peace offering**

***Tell Ink about your crush on him**

You decided to check him, your heart hammering in your chest.

***Ink: ATK ??? DEF???**

****

**_Just wants some gelato, but is having fun trying to get it from you._ **

“My turn!” Ink snickered and he spun his brush around, sending another wave of pain at you, the sweetest, lemon-green color you’d ever laid eyes on.

You tried to dodge, but a small splash hit you square on the arm, and you were overwhelmed with a desire to give him all your food.

“Did you just… hit me with _generosity?”_ you squealed at him.

“Maybe.” He snickered.

“If I give you the gelato, will you spare me?”

“Or, I might keep you here, to play with you.” he chuckled.

You looked over your choices and shook your head.

You weren’t going to give up that gelato.

But you could share it.

“I’ll share my gelato with you, Ink.” You told him, as you pressed the spare option. "And you don’t have to draw me anything."

Ink actually looked flustered

“You’ll share it with me?”

“Sure!” you smiled indulgently, as the world returned to normal. The effect of his paint was wearing off quickly and you frowned.

“How is it that your paint effected my emotions?”

“These are colors from creators. Since you’re a creator yourself, it has an effect on you, but, uh, it doesn’t hit you as hard as it does me, since you have a soul, and well, I don’t.” Ink chuckled, as he grabbed a seat and waited for you to dish up the gelato.

You smiled at him, as he dug into the sweet, frozen goodness and you wondered softly, how it must be to not feel emotions.

All too often, your own emotions ran rampant, leaving you in pain, or in ecstasy.

“Ink?”

“Yeah?”

“… If you ever pull me into an encounter again, I’m going to kick your butt.”

He smirked, “I don’t have one at the moment, so joke’s on you!”

You opened your mouth to reply when the full weight of his sentence smacked you like a dick in the face.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOT AT THE MOMENT?”

“Oops, I gotta go, see you later, Author!” And Ink vanished into a portal he slapped onto the ground, taking his bowl of gelato with him.

You were blushing and your heart was pounding a million miles an hour.

Oh god.

OH GOD.

Did, did that mean-

You flushed, all the dirty, sinful images of Ink’s fan-art coming back to haunt you full force.

Not that you were fully into the idea of ecto-bodies… but god, you’d really love to see Ink with one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... welp that took a turn. *considers rainbow ecto-body parts* Hmmmm
> 
> Anyone have an opinion on Ecto-bodies? just for funsies, I'm genuinely curious,


	5. Rainwater colors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're down.  
> Ink tries to understand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some angst and fluff. I hope anyone having a bad day finds some comfort here.

The sky outside was gray.

Inside the house, it was oppressively dark, with the exception of the soft, glowing orange light from a single lamp, dimly lighting one room.

The colors of the wall, the furniture and your skin was desaturated, giving a dull, emotionless feeling all around you.

This echoed what you felt, the dull, hollow of your heart, the sharp pain of _worthlessness, uselessness, unwelcome, unwanted-_

This was not the first time you had felt like this, and you doubted it would be the last.

It didn’t help that today, of _all days_ was your time of the month but, for some reason, today was just _the worst._

You’d had a call from your sister. The emotional trauma she’d been through, so similar to your own from times past, wrenched at your heart. You’d tried, so hard, to just listen, but in the midst of it, you ran your mouth, you’d projected your own stupid emotions on her and you’d _failed spectacularly_ to fully support her in an unselfish manner.

Not that she’d said any of this to you. Your angel of a sister thanked you profusely, with the strength of an oak tree, as she went on to vent.

Sobs wracked you once again, as you curled in on yourself, drawing in your knees to your chest in a position that was not comfortable, but you _wanted_ to hurt. You didn't want to feel good, you wanted to feel pain, to relieve the guilt that plagued you.

It shouldn’t have surprised you when Ink chose that moment to emerge, a dark puddle swirling on the wall, he’d jumped through, diving forward and tumbling neatly to his feet, he called out to you cheerfully, “Hi Author! Where are you- Oh.”

You tried to hide your face, as he caught sight of you, and confusion reigned unbridled in him, as he frowned, “What happened? What are you crying for?”

He knelt down, ignoring your attempts to hide, as he gazed at you dispassionately, “Author… talk to me.”

“I… I can’t.” you choked, as the rain started drowning out your voice.

Ink took a seat and waited patiently, watching you with that confused expression. Obviously, he couldn’t understand the raw feeling in your chest, the utter misery that dominated you.

Slowly, Ink reached out, marveling as he caught a tear on his distal phalange.

With a solemn expression, he asked you, “Is it ok if I cry with you?”

“Uh…” you cracked a confused smile, taking in a huffing breath,” Sure Ink.”

He popped open a jar of pain, a swirling, aquamarine blue, a bitter, salty looking color, and took a slow sip.

You were shocked when his eye-lights dilated, shifting to that same aquamarine color, giving him a Blueberry-like appearance, as teal-colored ecto-plasma began to spill from his sockets.

He shuddered hard, clutching his sternum, he held out his arms to you.

You didn’t care that he didn’t know why you were crying, or that his tears were artificial.

You wept harder than ever, diving into his arms, you felt his strong grip pull you close, his ecto-plasma in your hair, falling to your cheeks as his body wracked with sobs.

“A-Author, I, I’m so _fucking sorry.”_

“F-for what?” You gulped, as the agony in your chest multiplied. Why the hell was _he_ sorry?

“You’ve been so good to me, you've been great… and this is the one thing I can’t do for you. I can’t _understand_ your feelings… I can only _imitate them_ . I thought this was the _right_ thing to do, but it feels like I'm _mocking your tears.”_

You shuddered as you suddenly chuckled through your tears, at the silliness of that thought that he presented to you, with his pained, squinting sockets and his clenched teeth pulled into a frown.

It didn’t _feel_ like he was mocking you, as he wept, grunting with ignorant discomfort.

“No, Ink, you’ve done nothing wrong… I….” You paused, as you reached up to brush his tears away,”I'm glad you came. I…”

Struggling for the words, Ink interrupted you, as he apparently swallowed, giving you a tilted grin, he asked, “is it like that saying, ' _misery loves company_ '?”

“Yeah… yeah it is.” You laughed softly, and the two of you continued to cry, listening to the rain, and reveling in the feeling of raw tears, until slowly, you felt relief, biting through your grief, your self-hatred and sorrow.

As your sobs subsided and your breathing became quiet, you felt Ink stroking your hair softly, murmuring in his husky voice,” Your hair is so soft… it’s like silk… I feel like, if I could actually _feel_ sad… touching your hair would make me feel better… that’s so silly and cheesy, isn’t it?” he murmured ruefully.

“It is.” you agreed with a sharp chuckle,” But, uh, it’s flattering… and comforting?… thanks Ink.”

“... Want some gelato?” he asked, completely out of the blue as he produced a container of it from somewhere.

Mocha peppermint.

Your favorite.

Giggling softly, you took the sweet cold treat from him and you tilted your head as you felt your heart pulse at the sight of the teal draining from his eye-lights, his yellow and blue heterochromia returning as he looked down at you, snickering, “The floor is really uncomfortable… wanna sit on the couch and, I dunno, play some video games?”

“... Yeah, ok.”

The two of you got up, and you watched as he bounded towards the couch. It was funny, he really seemed to enjoy your couch so much, the way he relaxed into it, eagerly grabbing a controller as he waited for you to start up the game. You went to the kitchen first, to grab a spoon to stick into the gelato, not bothering to grab a second utensil.

You’d be lying if you said that you didn’t enjoy sharing a spoon with him. Ink had no qualms about using your spoon to partake in the container of sweet, pepperminty-goodness.

As the two of you raced each other in Mario Kart, hollering insults, jabs and spitting threats at each other, your heart grew lighter, as you glanced over to him.

His expression was full of confidence, undeterred will and inspiration, his teeth clenched in concentration, showing off his sharp incisors.

… You knew Ink couldn’t feel emotions, although he was aware of right from wrong, and he was aware that emotions existed.

And he had _chosen_ to actually _try_ to understand you.

With those thoughts influencing you, as you stared at his handsome skull and cute smile, you blushed, and your abdomen swelled with _hunger_.

As this happened, he turned to you sharply, his expression turning devious as he inhaled sharply.

“... Author, you have something to tell me?”

“NO SHUT UP, you idiot!” You shrieked and you instantly threw a blue shell at his kart, grinning when he shouted in frustration, “Hey! Don’t be giving me _shell-shock!_ It’s not my fault you’re such a _tortoise!”_

You breathed a sigh of relief, wondering at the fact that he… had seemed to smell you.

That was an uncomfortable thought… but it really intrigued you too.

He seemed to have forgotten about the incident, as he challenged you to a rematch, after you’d rattled the heck out of him.

And as you settled into the rhythm of eating gelato and slinging insults and puns at Ink, you thought about what had you so twisted up before.

Your sister had needed support. And you had done your best to give it.

You _could_ have done better.

But you had done your best.

What else was there to do?

You set your jaw as you glanced at Ink out of the corner of your eye, thinking about how he’d comforted you, taking none of your pain for himself, and only sympathizing, in the manner he knew best. He had even apologized, for feeling insufficient about his method of comforting.

You had to try to be more like that. Maybe next time, you would be better for your sister. 

You felt sure of it.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ^_^ Don't get hung up on your mistakes. All we can do is our best.


	6. Paper Crane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're mixed with emotions about Ink's friendship, and you know you'll never be more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, little does Author SUSPECT...

Ink frowned as he squinted at your document. Sweating nervously, you fidgeted as he turned back to you with a raised brow.

“This is actually awful.”

You sagged in disappointment and he shook his head, chuckling, adding smugly, “Awfully good.”

“... INK! You bastard!” you smacked him on the arm with your pencil, and he burst out laughing, chuckling at you, “You are just too cute when you’re annoyed!”

“Shut up, Ink.” you muttered, as he gave you a lopsided grin.

“I think you’re improving with the dialogue, I can almost  _ feel  _ the emotions these characters portray! And the situations you throw them into is pretty hilarious too!”

“Heh…” a flustered grin flashed across your mouth, and you marveled. It was so funny, how Ink, soulless, uncaring flirt that he was, had the ability to make YOU feel so many things. 

He infuriated you at times, with how careless and thoughtless he could be… and other times, he made you feel… special.

You shake your head ruefully, as he crossed his arms, scrunching his brows at you, “What’s with that look?”

“Nothing, Ink.” you chuckled softly. A thought occurred to you, as you frowned and asked him, “Hey… since you’ve been here… have you talked to other humans?”

“Huh? Oh! Yeah, actually, I have!” Ink grinned, “Being able to ignore time and space is pretty great!”

A pit settled in your stomach. Oh… there were others… of course there was. Ink was the protector of AUs, of course he would talk to others about their creations… 

You were nothing special after all.

“Humans are so interesting, with the things they create.” Ink went on, unnoticing of your sudden dip into silence, pressing a phalange to his mandible, he added softly, “Some of them… don’t really like me. Something about… how I’m too tall? And too, uh, crude.” Ink chuckled and shook his head, “You seem ok with me though. I really appreciate that. Not that I particularly care about what others think about me, it’s just nice to hang out with someone who’s accepting.”

  
  


That perked your attention, as you looked back up, and your heart throbbed painfully, as he seemed to give you a wistful expression,” You know, I have friends, Dream and Swap. I don;t get to see them very often, though, and uh… things get  _ empty _ around my anti-void. Dream told me about this place, and I just… I wanted to see it for myself. Meet creators, see their art and stories first hand… But I don’t know, I’m… I think it’s really cool that I met  _ you _ first.”

He squinted mischievously,” I guess you could say that you popped my real world cherry.”

You choked and he burst out laughing, adding, with tears in his sockets, “By the way, I wanted to give you something, so that if you ever want to talk, or hang out, you can just call me.”

You tilted your head at him, as he rummaged through the pocket of his blue jacket, feeling a heated blush spread over your face as he added,” I met another writer, who wanted to be able to call me, and I thought to myself, “ _ that’s a great idea, I should give one to Author _ !”

With a victorious smile, he pulled his hand from his pocket, unfolding his phalanges to reveal what rested in his carpals. 

A paper crane.

A white, pristine paper crane was what he held out to you, and you took it delicately, feeling bewildered by it’s simple beauty and charm.

“You, uh, you have another writer friend?” you asked dumbly, unable to pull yourself together to say something reasonable, like “Thank you.”

Ink snorted, shrugging his shoulders, “I mean, sorta? She’s not really a friend, I’d say-”

“SHE?” you felt agitated, and you immediately felt guilt for that agitation. Of course Ink didn’t belong to  _ you _ , he belonged to the _ fandom _ …  _ you _ didn’t have a monopoly on him…

But somehow, it still hurt, as you held that sweet, graceful folded paper in the palm of your hand, frowning gently, as you listened to Ink prattle on, “She’s really demanding, but really funny. She writes a TON too, and like, she gets SO MUCH fanart for her characters, it’s almost insane!”

“Oh…” you murmured, frowning softly, you added with what you hoped was a casual tone, “She sounds nice.”

“Eh, she can be.” Ink threw himself onto you couch as he crossed his arms behind his skull and looked up into the ceiling, “I don’t mind giving her help… but you know, I really enjoy being here. It’s strange uh… I don't know, it’s like I belong here?”

You looked up in surprise, as he grinned and winked at you, “So uh, don’t go telling everyone that I gave you that. There’s only two that I’ve made so far. One because it was asked of me, and this one because I chose to give it.”

He smirked, “Don’t get it twisted, I don’t play favorites.”

Well now… That just made your heart ache, as you gazed at Ink with longing. It had been four months now, since he’d been visiting you, and you could swear, the more you saw him… the more you wanted him.

Not in a platonic way either.

The way he engulfed you, with his mere presence, showing up at times when you least expected it, laughing at the exasperated expressions you pulled at him, sitting down on the couch to play video games or watch crappy anime with you, sitting down to doodle as you wrote your stories and essays, his look of focused concentration when you read things back to him…

He was so spastic, and yet, it was like your reading out loud to him calmed him in a way that nothing else did…

At least, that was what you liked to think, when you’d look up from your reading to see his face, set in a neutral, peaceful tone.

His cheekbones would flush rainbow, when he’d catch you looking at him, and he’d seemed to get flustered, a crooked grin and a tilted wink aimed at you, making you fluster right back.

It was time to face the crux of your issue.

Your crush on Ink was NOT going away, if anything, it was only growing stronger, and you ached, in your chest, as he sighed, relaxing on your couch.

“Author?”

“Yeah?”

“... Do you like hugs?”

You blinked at the question.

“I think you know that I do, Ink.”

“Oh… then why don’t you try to hug me?”

“Uh…” You frowned, and suddenly, your jealousy reared its head. That other writer was probably taking full advantage, hugging on Ink whenever she felt like it, reveling in the feel of his body, the smell of his clothes,-

Ink’s fingers snapped in front of your face.

“Helloooo Earth to Author!”

You blinked and looked at him in surprise, stammering,” I, uh, I would love to hug you, Ink… I just.. Uh, I didn’t want to crowd you, or invade your personal space.”

Ink looked mildly surprised, and he grinned, “Hmm, sounds like you’re overthinking,” And he pulled you into his lap, wrapping his arms around you, he sighed.

“I don’t feel emotions… but that doesn’t mean that I can't appreciate affection. If you ever  _ want _ to hug me, you don’t have to ask. You’re my friend, and as much as I want to feel that I care about you, I can’t… I kind of worry, I guess that you think I'm just hanging around for no reason. I  _ like _ being here… and I  _ like _ hanging out with you.”

You were blushing so brightly, as Ink pulled back and looked into your face, smiling in an indulgent way, he added softly, “Don’t forget the crane, ok? Put it in your pocket, if you want. It won’t break. I want to be there, if you ever need me. Because you have certainly been here for me.”

You nodded, saying nothing as he squeezed you a moment longer before letting you go.

You didn’t get up, you sat there a while longer, until Ink had to leave.

When he left, your heart swelled. You’d never had a friend like him before. He was so strange, like a force of nature, making you angry and making you want him, all at once. These days, you wanted him so badly, it wasn’t even funny…

But he called you his friend … you were firmly in the friend-zone, and it was with a heavy, mixed heart that you realized that you would always be there. 

It was almost torturous, to think about hugging him again. He’d never hug you back the way you wished…

But that was ok.

You gripped your hands into pained fists before relaxing them again, as you went back to your word document, to write something angry and tragic.

If Ink’s friendship was all you ever got back from him, that was far more than anyone could ever ask from the soulless Skeleton.

You were lucky to have him there in your life, and you gently stroked the head of the paper crane, which was nestled into your breast pocket.

“Thanks, Ink.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. Who is this other mysterious writer?
> 
> Shall we find out?


	7. Shades of Pink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's two types of creators; those who can adapt, and those who stagnate.
> 
> Ink prefers the former.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The "Writer" is based off an old friend, someone I used to know. She wasn't exactly a "writer", but she did create characters and stories for fanfiction. And this was something i noticed about her. I'm not trying to bash anyone's creations. However, I feel it's important to learn to accept criticism, especially if it's meant to help you improve.
> 
> Also, damn it, I miss Ink. Needed to write him in a situation where I wasn't fucking pissed off at him.

She was an odd one.

Ink frowned, as he heard the call that was connected to the paper crane. It wasn’t his author friend, the first person he’d met in the strange Real World… it was the other girl. The other writer he’d been spending more time with.

There were many writers and artists he’d started getting to know, since he broke the 4th wall. The Artist Skeleton loved talking to both experienced and novice creators, it was so much fun! Every single one of them had a different perspective and point of view on their work, and Ink was excited by all of it.

He looked around quickly, he wasn’t busy at the moment, in fact, he’d been considering going to see you. It was funny, there was just something about you that he really… was drawn to.

There was a reality with you, an odd enjoyment that was warm and inviting.

Besides your writing, there were other things that he liked doing with you, not to mention how ridiculously cute you were.

You hardly ever called on him though, and he wondered, at times, if you found him annoying.

The thought itched along his bones, and his eyelights flashed with uncertain symbols of purple and green before he snapped his gaze to his brush, swirling it, he slapped it down on the ground, creating a portal on the ground, he dove into it, appearing at the other end.

There she was. He’d refused to call her “Author”. As far as he was concerned, that was a title that seemed appropriate only for you.

So, perhaps in a more Asgore-fashion with names, he’d settled to call her “Writer.”

“S’up, Ink?” She grinned at him, “Been up to much lately?”

Without giving him time to answer, she dove straight to the point, “I need a hand with this fiction I’m writing for a friend, mind sitting down and helping me out with it?”

“Uh, sure?” Ink sat down with her, and she began to prattle, her fingers moving at the keyboard as she spoke.

But with each suggestion and critique he made, she’d shoot it down, frowning at him as she reiterated the same things over and over.

“Ink, I know you’ve got a bad memory, but I literally just told you that my character won’t be able to do that.” Her eye twitched, even though her tone wasn’t ruffled.

“Well, it sounds like you’re wanting to write your friend’s characters differently. Would she be ok with that?” Ink frowned, unbothered by the jab at his memory. It was true enough that he had a poor memory, although lately, he’d felt a lot more clarity in his thinking.

Not to mention… Ink noticed she did this often. Her characters never changed, didn’t really develop. She was inflexible about her writing. Which, wasn’t a bad thing… it just didn’t mesh well when she tried to “write for others.” 

“ _It’s all fine and good for her own fictions, of course… but when you write for someone else… you have to be willing to compromise, otherwise the plot won’t work and the characters won’t cooperate….”_ Ink thought to himself. He’d told her this before, and she had immediately come up with an excuse for him to leave, and hadn’t called him back for a whole week. Since then, even though he would still offer suggestions, he didn’t bother trying to confront her about it. She was too stubborn, and unwilling to admit to her need for improvement.

Ink wasn’t sure what to make of it. She was an odd one. Not unpleasant to hang out with… but he often wondered why she called on him to begin with, when she was unwilling to listen, unwilling to even consider his advice.

Almost… like she just wanted someone there to show her work and to seek approval. But if that was the case, why didn’t she just say so?

When Ink finally left, reappearing in the Doodlesphere, he took a deep breath, feeling strangely drained.

“Damn… Maybe, heh, maybe it was a mistake to give her one of my cranes…” He muttered. This was odd. He’d never felt so _tired_ before. It wasn’t a physical tiredness either. His mind was worn, and he didn’t feel that spark inside of him that he normally felt, on a day-to-day basis, when he interacted with creators.

At this moment, he felt a tug, a pull at his mind and a ripple in his magic. It was the other paper crane, calling out to him. With a grin and a sudden flood of a strange kind of giddiness, Ink slapped his brush down on the ground and quickly dropped into the portal.

“Author!” He grinned, as he found you, pacing anxiously across your kitchen floor.

You turned at his entrance and gave him a rueful grin.

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

Ink laughed and sank onto one of your chairs, shaking his head.

“Nope, not at all, Author. What’s on your mind?”

“I, uh… I was wondering if you could help me with this article i’m writing?” You asked shyly. “Can I read to you what I have so far?”

“Sure!” Ink grinned eagerly and settled back, snickering quietly as he noticed something about you.

“I see you’re excited to see me.”

“Hmm?” You looked up, frowning before it dawned on you. _You weren’t wearing a bra._

_AND YOUR NIP-NOPS WERE POKING THE FABRIC OF YOUR SHIRT._

“Oh shit!” you swore, reaching to cover your chest with your arms, glaring at Ink, “Hey, that’s not nice!”

“What? _Aren’t_ you happy to see me?” he winked.

You went to reply but you paused, “Ink, c’mon, that was rude! And why were you staring at my chest to begin with?!”

“Couldn’t help it. Ya really bam- **boobs-** le me.” he snickered.

You let out a snort, walking away, you called over your shoulder with, “You are such a PERVERT, Ink!”

Muttering to yourself, you flushed, as you quickly put a bra on, pausing, you blinked and your heart pumped hard. He’d noticed your boobs… no one ever noticed them. You were a minus A-cup…

Blushing, you fiddled with the clasp and quickly put your shirt back on.

Ink was looking over your document, murmuring to himself when you returned.

“Author, can I say something?” He turned to you, looking a little… contrite?

“What?”

Fidgeting, Ink tilted his head at you.

“Look, uh, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. And of course, it’s your body, you can do what you like… but you should be more confident about yourself.”

You opened your mouth and closed it, actually taken by surprise.

“I, uh, thanks?” You blushed.

He grinned back, “I told you before that you have really nice aesthetics. I sincerely meant it.” Looking away with a slight cough, he quickly added, “Anyways, I’m ready to see what you’ve got for me.”

You smiled softly, feeling shy, and yet, a warmth spread through you. No one had ever said something so nice like that to you before…

Fuck.

Ink was really twining himself around your heart. It wasn’t fair. Not at all.

As you read your article to him, glancing over at him every now and then, you took a moment to appreciate HIS aesthetics, as he put it.

Besides being so much taller and larger than you, Ink’s bones had a porcelain, ivory tint to them, only broken by stains of both ink, pencil graphite and charcoal… whatever medium he chose to use.

His bones were broad, and yet, his phalanges were long and almost delicate, with the way they moved, tapping against his mandible, scratching under his shirt, fidgeting against the strap that held his paints of emotions.

With a soft smile, he turned his heterochromia sockets to you, one pale blue eye-light, one golden sun shaped eyelight glimmering at you as he spoke cheerfully.

“You need to rewrite it entirely.”

“Uh, what?” You gaped at him.

He nodded, clasping his mandible in his hand, he explained, “It’s very stiff. Your words aren’t quite flowing together very well. It seems kinda like a first draft.”

He stood up and gave you an example of what he meant.

And you saw it. You knew exactly what he meant.

“Ok! I got it!” you grinned and he settled back, as you set to work, with a grin and your tongue poking at your cheek.

Your fingers tapped against the keyboard and he made himself comfortable as he pulled out his notebook and pencil, his sockets squinting in concentration.

You actually listened to him. You _appreciated_ the critique he gave you.

It was an odd thought, but he felt that this was the reason he preferred you over all the other creators.

As much as he’d said he didn’t play favorites, it was nice to be listened to… it was nice to be appreciated. It was with a wide smile that he approved your revised article, giving you a thumbs up as he bounced on the balls of his feet with excitement, “Wanna go watch some tv?”

“Actually… I want to show you something.” You revealed, fidgeting.

“Ooh! Like a surprise?” he pulled a surprised look, as he tried to guess what it could be.

“Yeah.” you smiled shyly, “I… I started writing an undertale fanfiction… a new Au.”

Ink’s jaw dropped and he grinned with pure excitement, “SHOW ME!”

His excitement thrilled you, and you quickly pulled it up, along with some art you’d doodled on the side.

Ink had some critiques for you, but his overwhelming enthusiasm was such a rush to experience, and you grinned as he quickly wrote down your AU, smirking at you, “I can’t wait to check this one out in person! Would you… would you care to come with me when i do?”

You stared in surprise before nodding with enthusiasm.

“YES.”

He grinned, “Then it’s a date!”

The two of you paused, and both of you blushed.

“It’s NOT, like, a date-date!” he quickly corrected, his ivory bones tinted with rainbow colors, although _pink_ seemed to be the predominant color that spread over his nasal ridge.

“Right, right, I understand!” you giggled. Your heart sank, and god, did you wish it was actually a date.

A date with Ink…

Fuck. You really needed to get over this crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sobs*


	8. Dance Like Uma Thurman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ink is unsure of how to think about you.
> 
> ... You come to a conclusion that makes you really uncomfortable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's gonna be a part two to this, I swear to God.
> 
> Also, I don't know if there will be much more, after this. I had hoped to make this longer, but, we'll see,

It had been weeks since Ink had taken you into your own Au, to look around and check out the world that you were building.

You hadn’t called on him and he was starting to worry.

… Which in and of itself was odd.

He _never_ worried about things… concern would occasionally make its way into his thoughts, but _worry?_

No.

He’d been to the other Aus, to visit and check on the progress of his alternates. Swap had been excited to see him, eager to go on another interdimensional adventure and just a little crushed when Ink shook his head.

“Not today, Swap.”

“Aw, Why Not?”

“There’s nothing happening right now. Error’s been keeping to himself, for once, and Nightmare’s been abnormally quiet too.”

Ink grumbled as he settled onto Swap’s couch, adding softly, “I don’t really know what else to do with myself.”

Swap gave him a look.

“You Seem A Little Different.”

“Huh?”

Swap cupped his mandible, as he regarded Ink with a thoughtful expression.

“I’m Not Sure What It Is. Have You been Ok?”

“Yeah, I’ve been fine.” Ink laughed softly, “Met a new friend, and, uh, I feel like I’ve been annoying to her.”

Swap cocked his head.

“New Friends Are Great! But Why Do You Think You’ve Been Annoying Her?”

Ink scratched the back of his skull.

Oh yeah.

Why _was_ it that he had thought that?

He briefly looked down at his scarf, poking at his teeth with his tongue as he muttered to himself.

“Hmm, oh! Cause she hasn’t… talked to me in a while.” Ink replied, his bones going oddly cold at the thought that you didn't want to see him.

Swap chuckled.

“Oh, Is That All? She’s Probably Just Busy! Either That, Or She Thinks That _You’re_ Too Busy To Talk To Her! My Advice Would Be To Call Her, Or Drop Her A Note, To Let Her Know That You’re Thinking About Her! Platonically, Of Course!” Swap blushed as he chuckled a little bit, casting his sockets to the ground as Ink grinned a little bit lecherously.

“How are things with you and your soulmate?”

“They’re, Mweh-Heh, I’m Happy, Ink. Really, Really Happy... Thanks For Asking.”

“Yeah, sure. I mean, I forget sometimes, but, I mean,” Ink nodded towards the window and Swap’s soul pulsed, as they both caught a glimpse of the human girl, walking down the sidewalk, heading for the door.

“That’s her, right?”

“Yup! You’ll Have To Excuse Me, Ink!” Swap yelped as he scrambled to his feet, “Don’t Forget What I Told You!”

Ink pointed to his scarf, as he smacked his brush against the ground.

“I wrote it down! Have fun!” Ink stuck out his tongue mischievously as he grinned, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

“Oh, Shut Up!” Swap squawked, as Ink disappeared.

The door opened and Roxy came in, looking around suspiciously.

“Sans, who are you talking to- Ack!” She squeaked, as her Sans swept her into a tight embrace and pressed his teeth to her cheek in a passionate nuzzle.

“I Missed You,” he murmured softly and she giggled, as she hugged him tightly in return.

“Missed you too, big guy.”

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

Ink stepped into your home, looking around cautiously.

There was music playing, somewhere from your house, and he chuckled, as he listened to the saucy lyrics.

_“She wants to dance like Uma Thurman,_

_Bury me ‘till I confess!_

_She wants to dance like Uma Thurman_

_And I can’t get you out of my head!”_

Ink walked through the house, the music swirling through his head as a bounce sprung into his steps, a grin quirking his teeth and he saw YOU-

You were hardly wearing _anything_ , as you swayed and bounced, cleaning your room and making your bed, wiggling your hips and singing along

_“The blood, the blood, the blood of the lamb_

_Is worth two lions, but here I am_

_And I slept-”_

You dropped onto your freshly made bed, as you practically shouted,

_“-In last night’s clothes, and tomorrow’s dreams,_

_but they’re not quite what they seem!”_

Ink felt his tongue go heavy, at the sight of you rolling back up to your feet, spinning like a ballerina and pressing your hands to your chest,

_“...Keep you like an oath,_

_May nothing but death do us part~”_

You paused, as you spun towards your window and looked out, you gaze fixated onto your garden.

The season was changing into autumn, and it was obvious that you were somewhat saddened, by the slow wilting of your plants. The sunflowers had long since lost their bloom, spreading their seeds onto the ground.

Ink drew back, as you started to turn towards the door, suddenly aware that you probably wouldn’t be too happy to see him staring at you in such an intimate moment.

This is what this was, right?

You were dressed in a tank top and underwear, acting far more easy-going and unfettered than you did when you were in his presence.

_What the hell was the matter with him?_

Why did he stand there, and just _stare_ at you?

Not that he was bothered by your undress, it wasn’t like you were completely naked but-

He paused, thinking of the symmetry of your body, the bounce of your flesh and your bright, challenging grin as you sung along lustily with the lyrics of the song.

Something went warm, inside his bones and he clutched his sternum in unbridled confusion. Something… _out of the ordinary_ was happening inside of him, and he didn’t know if there was anything he _could or should_ do about it.

So, instead, he stepped lightly into your kitchen and called out.

“Author? Are you home?”

There was a faint squeal and he almost grinned as he heard you fluster, “HI INK! Wait right there! Don’t MOVE!”

And he held still, murmuring, “For you? Anything.”

He paused, at those words. Really? Anything?

His teeth clenched, as his mind whirled.

… Yeah. He liked you enough that if you asked him to take you to the moon, he’d probably do it, and give you a suit and rocket ship to go with it.

As you emerged, fully dressed and sweating slightly from anxiety, he smiled at you, sending you into a relaxed state as you laughed nervously.

“Have you been waiting long, Ink?”

“Heh, nah, just got here.” Ink chuckled, “What have you been up to? I um, just realized I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Oh, uh,” you flustered, “Actually, I’m being dragged to a halloween party tonight. Um, do you want to come with me? I bet you could get away with socializing as a skeleton.”

Ink opened his mouth and then closed it.

A party, huh?

Actually, that sounded like a lot of fun!

“Yeah, I’ve got nothing going on! Sure, I’ll come with you! … I take it this party is a costume party?”

“Yup.” You nodded with a laugh, “Actually, I need to get into my costume right now. Do you mind waiting?”

“Not at all!” Ink laughed softly, “I’ll be right here.”

You nodded softly, with a grin, as you went back to your room.

A feeling of anxiety shot through your gut. 

What if Ink thought your costume was dumb?

You went to your closet and pulled out the pretty but cheaply made hispanic-style flamenco dress.

You had been thinking about Ink a lot these days… especially since seeing him dressed as an English gentleman from the 1800s.

So, you’d went for a _dios los muertos_ look, this halloween, deciding that you wanted to satisfy your apparent kink for skeletons.

You hadn’t really thought about it… but you wanted to see Ink’s reaction, to your costume.

So, moving as quickly as you could, you quickly dressed, and then paused.

God.

You were _awful_ at makeup.

….

Maybe Ink could help you out?

You flushed. But, your desire to spend time with your friend won out, and you called softly, “Ink?”

You heard his steps, and he opened your door cheerfully, “All ready to g-”

His voice died and he stared at you.

“Um… do I have something between my teeth?” you laughed nervously, mistaking his silence for disapproval.

“Wow, uh, I’ve heard that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” He glanced at the skeletal ribcage corset you were wearing over your dress, adding with a teasing wink, “You really _rattled_ me there for a moment.”

“Heh, uh, glad you’re not accusing me of appropriating.” you chuckled cheerfully, “Um, can I ask you for help with my make-up?”

Ink gave you a look.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, uh, I’m actually terrible with it.”

“I’ll do my best?” Ink laughed awkwardly and you blushed slightly.

“I’m gonna bet right now, you’d be better at it than me.”

So, you sat in your bathroom, while Ink utilized the materials you had bought, snubbing the picture you’d presented to him, “Nah, I can make a better skull than THAT.”

You sat quietly, looking into his face as he worked.

With a heavily thudding heart, you had a very, very hard realization.

You hadn’t called him because you wanted to _kiss him._

You wanted to grab his cute face and squash your lips against his teeth, to reach into his pants and _feel up his pelvis,_ to see if he could actually produce that infamous Ecto-plasma you’d thought so much about.

… F _uck, and you were gonna be tied with him for the rest of the evening. FUCK._ What had you been thinking, when you invited him along for your evening?

_Looks like I’m not gonna be drinking. Not unless I plan on making an utter fool of myself in front of him._

You thought to yourself ruefully, as he finally withdrew, looking proud.

“There! What do you think?”

You turned to the mirror and your jaw dropped.

You looked _gorgeous._

He had done his absolute best, and you almost wanted to cry. You looked like a skeleton, but god, he had put such a _delicate_ and _feminine_ spin on you, you could only smile like an idiot.

“Ink… I owe you. Like… so much,” words stuck in your throat, but Ink only laughed softly, “I’m glad you like it so much, Author. I uh, I’m so glad that I met you. I, um…” Ink paused. What was he trying to say?

“I really like hanging out with you… I’ve actually… missed you. Do I… Do I annoy you?”

“What? No! I just thought,” you blushed, though he couldn’t see it, under your makeup,” I Just thought that you had better things to do then to listen to my stupid rambling.”

Ink gave you a fond grin.

“Don’t be silly. I gave you that paper crane for a reason, understand? If you ever need me, Author… all you need to do is call.”

A swell of your soul had you grinning, like an absolute dummy.

Fuck…

You wanted to _fuck_ Ink so badly.

And you knew it was wrong. You knew he couldn’t feel the same way for you… you knew that something like that would only end with you crying, your heart torn in two.

… why did you have to be SO human, to want what you couldn’t have?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Early Halloween, guys!
> 
> I DON"T OWN THE SONG, "UMA THURMAN", FALL OUT BOY DOES.


	9. Thrilled to the Bone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ink dons a costume and it leaves you more than a little thirsty...  
> Unfortunately, your evening's about to get a little... *awkward*  
> Oh, look who came back *cringes*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm back! maybe!
> 
> So, this might be a little rushed. I'm sorry if it doesn't flow smoothly, but i really wanted to get it up as soon as possible ^^*
> 
> This is also my way of making Ink's new design cannon in RBZ. ^^*

_This might have been the worst idea I’ve ever had._ You thought to yourself with a sudden twist of apprehension.

Ink was near-bouncing in place beside you as the two of you stood at the door of the room where the halloween party was taking place. Noise filtered through the barrier and you felt your anxiety triple.

“Hey,” Ink’s voice broke your thoughts as you hesitated to knock and he gripped your hand with a reassuring squeeze.

“What are we waiting for, Author?” He questioned, his sockets squinting as he grinned, “Let’s have some fun!”

You would have agreed… but god, your heart felt like it was going to jump right out of your body as your gaze quickly swept over him.

When Ink had initially agreed to come with you, you quickly called your friend, letting her know that you were bringing someone.

“Oh?” Her voice had lilted with a teasing tone, “So, you’ve had a boyfriend all this time and you didn’t say anything?”

“He’s not my boyfriend! We’re _just_ friends!” You’d replied, feeling yourself wilt as the words left your mouth.

“Haha, whatever you say!” Her cheerful teasing was sing-song, and you could practically _hear_ the gears turning in her head.

She was already shipping you and your “friend”, and she hadn’t even met him yet.

_Oh boy._

It was funny, you hardly ever _saw_ Sarah despite knowing her pretty well. Out of everyone at the magazine company you worked for, she was the one person that you got along with the best. She supported your writing in a way that was only exceeded by Ink’s enthusiasm for your work. That and she loved Undertale just as much as you did.

When she goaded you into agreeing to attend the costume party with her, you knew you’d only done it for her. Parties were just… _such a weird_ atmosphere for you. You didn’t like the feelings that hit you when you were around too many people, even if you knew all of them.

The fact that Ink was standing next to you in a costume of his own didn’t help you at _all._

You swallowed harshly as you looked over at him, your chest vibrating with the hammering pulses of your heart.

After helping you get ready to go, he’d informed you that he wanted to change his own clothes, and he’d vanished, only to return and-

Your tongue went thick as you looked at his new apparel.

Ink seemed so much more _comfortable,_ with his bared feet, the Japanese aesthetic of his unbuttoned overalls giving him a serene appearance.

Stars help you, he was so _handsome,_ and you were biting your cheek, trying to keep from _ogling_ him like some sex-fiend. Not for the _last_ time, you lamented to yourself how unfair this was. 

Your feelings for him wouldn’t _ever_ be returned, why couldn’t you just _appreciate him_ as a friend?

“Is… is that a _dress_ ?” You had decided to try to tease him. By now, you _really_ should have known better-

“Oh, yeah, do you like it? Does it _ruffle_ you?” He grinned, giving a playful spin next to you before grabbing your hand and spinning you in turn, dipping you in his arms as he chuckled. 

You watched as his rainbow tongue swept across his teeth as he whispered, “Can you keep a secret?”

Your heart gave a harsh _pulse_ in your chest as you looked into his face and he leaned closer, bending to whisper in your ear. His breath tickled you and you felt heat shoot through your shoulders before his words registered in your brain. 

“They’re actually pants.”

“I- _Huh?”_ You blurted as he began to bellow with laughter, pulling you upright, he widened his stance to confirm that he was indeed, not wearing a _skirt._

“... Ink you _dork!”_ You gripped your sides as you giggled at him while he strutted, shooting you a smirk as he shrugged.

“It’s a costume party, buuuuut, designing this was really fun and I _really_ like how it feels… I kinda think I’ll keep it for everyday!”

You laughed and teased him about pulling a Classic Papyrus move, in never taking off his costume ever again, but now, as the two of you stood at the door to your friend’s house, you were sweating _buckets_ as you stared at your friend’s door, like it was a death trap.

So many regrets were rolling through you as you simultaneously avoided looking at him and snuck glances. You had to force yourself to reply to Ink’s eager declaration as your back itched with sweat.

“Y-yeah!” You took a deep breath before setting your gaze back on the door.

This was no big deal! Ink was with you and your friend was inside, there was no way you’d be reduced to a puddle of anxiety this ti-

A strangled noise erupted from you as the door was flung open and your friend, Sarah, stood, dressed in a witch’s costume as she scolded you, “Are you going to stand outside _all_ day, you egg?”

“N-no, of course not! We’ve only just arri-”

“Oh! Is this your friend? That is a _fantastic_ Ink!Sans costume! It...it _is_ Ink, right? I don’t think I’ve seen him in a _dress_ like that?”

You winced at the obvious weight placed on the word “friend” as Sarah gave you a devious expression.

_Don’t do it, Sarah, I swear to god-_

“Thanks! But wait-” Ink grinned as he took that ridiculously wide stance again, giving a raucous laugh as he snarked, “It’s not a dress! Hahah, you have been fooled!”

Sarah stared for a moment before giving a cute chortle, looking back at you, she snarked, “I can’t believe you haven’t mentioned this guy sooner! He’s a riot, and my god, what an incredibly talented cosplayer!”

Ink chuckled and winked playfully, “Ehehe, I don’t want to brag, but I’m something of an _expert_ on being Ink!Sans!”

You gave a nervous chuckle as you tried to keep yourself from sweating.

“Right… yes… he’s just a _cosplayer._ ”

Sarah stepped back and you found yourself inside, feeling a little better as you noticed that there weren’t a whole lot of people at the party yet.

You tried really hard to keep yourself from standing too close to Ink. It was just… you already felt weird. 

You rarely had to come into the office these days, so being here was… it felt _weird._

Not to mention, you knew there were some people here that you really… didn’t want to talk to much.

Like-

“Oh, hey there, (Y/N)!” 

You went still as one of the other writers for the company, a woman about your own age named Courtney, emerged in a Fiona the Human costume. She grinned ear to ear, looking at your companion in surprise.

“... Ink?”

“Writer?” Ink asked in a low voice, blinking dumbly.

You bit your lip at the utter absurdity of the situation. The woman that Ink had mentioned before was _Courtney_ . The co-worker you got along with _least._

Your stomach plummeted to the ground as Courtney gave a wider grin, giving a laugh as she quickly stepped forward and pulled Ink into a hug. Icy needles of jealousy prickled your belly and you felt your mouth go painfully dry.

Wasn’t there supposed to be alcohol around here somewhere? You really wanted to leave to find it as words you didn’t want to hear filtered into your ears.

“I haven’t seen you in forever! You don’t come around anymore!” She exclaimed, pushing against Ink in a playful manner and you felt yourself _twitch._

_Why do I feel so bad? Ink mentioned she hugs him a lot, it's not like I own him or anything. I shouldn't, hah, I'm overreacting._

The voice in your head was loud; louder than the party that was going on around you. Ink’s reply was almost muffled as you tried to get a hold of yourself.

“I, uh, I’ve been… busy.” Ink responded quietly. “How has your writing been?”

Courtney gave an exaggerated _slump._

“It’s been _awful_ . I could _really_ use your help if you ever wanna come around again… say, why _are_ you here to begin with? Aren’t you kinda… in danger of being discovered?” 

Ink raised a brow and snickered.

“At a costume party? Cosplaying as myself? I doubt it. And I’m here with my good friend, Author.”

He turned to you, and you forced a smile to your face, feeling heavy as Courtney’s eyes bored into you

_Why was she just_ staring _at you, like you were a freak-_

“I didn’t know you knew Ink.” 

“Well…”

“I didn’t know you were into _Undertale_ !” Courtney snickered. “You hide it so _well.”_

You didn’t know how to reply to that, so you just laughed awkwardly, unsure of where to put your eyes as you shrugged. You had _never_ hidden your interest in Undertale, Courtney had just failed to notice or care. But you didn’t know how to convey this as the taller woman berated you.

“Seriously, (Y/N), you should have said so sooner!”

Ink seemed at a bit of a loss, the use of your true name seemed to jar him just as much as Courtney’s prattling jarred _you._

There was such a heaviness in your chest before Sarah reappeared, and you felt some of the weight lift as she put a hand on your shoulder, looking at you, she chuckled, “(Y/N) your costume looks so good! Did you do that face paint yourself?”

“No, actually, Ink did it for me!” You laughed awkwardly. 

Courtney reached up to fluff the ears of her Fiona hat as she pouted.

“I worked on this hat myself, but, I’m not good with sewing. It looks so awful, I wish had worn something else.”

“Aw, you did just fine! It looks just like the hat in the show!” Sarah objected kindly.

Courtney gave a smile, shaking her head, “Thank you! I did my best!”

Sarah grinned and nodded, “Shall we get some food? I’m starving, and there’s some Halloween treats!”

“Yeah!” Ink nodded eagerly, and you felt relieved as your feet moved with the direction of the group.

Stars, you knew Courtney was _harmless, but why did she have to constantly fish for compliments?_

Every time you were around her, she did this, showing off something she wrote or made, and then downplaying it, to the point that you could never give her any criticism.

You bit your lip, deciding to stick it out for Sarah, who was excitedly talking about the costume contest that was going to be held in about half an hour. Apparently, there was going to be a scavenger hunt too.

The table was laden with a lot of spooky-themed treats, including a tower of cupcakes that looked hastily made, but god, they were _chocolate_ and you couldn’t resist.

Without hesitation, you reached out for a cupcake, feeling a slight comfort at the treat in your hands.

_Oh food, you’re my only friend…_

“I made those cupcakes!” Courtney grinned and you froze, trying to still your breath even as you prepared yourself for-

“Oh, you made them?” Sarah commented and Courtney nodded, adding with a shrug, “I know they’re not that great, but it was my first time trying to make and decorate some halloween themed treats! Do you like them?”

“They’re… _cute.”_ Your respect for Sarah’s patience really sky-rocketed as Sarah gave a short nod and added cheerfully, "It's the taste that's more important!" 

“Aw, thanks. What do you think, (Y/N)?”

“I…” you blinked, “I haven’t tried it yet.”

“But, do you like the way they’re decorated?” Courtney pressed and you felt your heart hammer with anxiety as you looked at the purple cupcake with the skull candy decoration.

It.. wasn’t anything _super_ spectacular, you could have easily replicated the decoration. But you forced a grin and nodded, “Yeah, they look great, Courtney!”

“It looks like you threw them together last minute. Muffet makes better cupcakes.” Ink shrugged and you froze, trying to hold back a laugh at how blunt he sounded.

Sarah gave a giggle, exclaiming, “You're so in character! That is _definitely_ something Ink would say!”

Ink tilted his head as he pondered, “You think so? Is Ink _that_ predictable?”

As Sarah launched into a character analysis, Courtney’s gaze went back to you.

“You gonna take a bite?”

You looked at the cupcake in your hand, and suddenly, you didn’t _want_ to take a bite. Now there was an _expectation_ placed on your reaction to the food in your hand. You shakily put the cupcake back down as you put a hand to your stomach.

“I’m sorry, I just… suddenly don’t feel so good. I’m gonna… go sit down.”

“Aw, I hope you’re not sick.” Courtney pouted.

Sarah looked at you with sudden concern, but Ink had already taken a step forward, taking your arm, he gently guided you outside.

You breathed in the cool air and Ink put a hand to your forehead.

“You… don’t seem sick.... But you don’t seem yourself. Are you ok?”

“I… no.” You said softly and he snorted.

“It’s Writer, isn’t it?”

“Hmm? Courtney? Yeah, she uh… I don’t know, I just…”

“Hey, it’s ok.” Ink grinned and you blinked at him.

“I’ve noticed that… she has that effect. It kinda… _drains_ you, doesn’t it?”

You nodded, your heart pounding.

_You weren’t the only one who felt that way about Courtney._

The revelation hit you like a hammer. All this time, you’d felt like it was just _you_ being anxious and stupid and self-absorbed.

But Ink could feel it too…

“Why don’t you tell your friend that you feel sick, and… I can take you somewhere else tonight. It’d be a shame if we didn’t do at least one fun thing while we’re all dressed up.” Ink chuckled and your heart flipped.

“Are… are you sure?”

“Yeah! C’mon!”

He pulled you back inside and you felt your heart thump.

_He_ took your hand. _You_ weren’t the one pulling and tugging on him, the way Courtney did.

_He_ initiated the touches. 

_Stop this, (Y/N). You know he can’t actually feel anything for you. Just stop,_

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

“Aw, I’m sorry you’re not feeling well, (Y/N). Go home and get lots of rest! Ink! Can I count on you?” Sarah asked with a slight playful tone, “By the way, what is your real name?”

“Oh, it’s Sans.” Ink grinned and Sarah lost her shit.

“Oh man, you never break character! Alright, _Sans_ , make sure she gets home safe!”

“You can count on it!” Ink grinned as he hooked an arm around your waist and swept you off your feet in an utterly ridiculous show of strength, striding off with you like some knight in shining armor.

_Thump..._ _Thump..._ _Thump..._

Your heart was pulsing like crazy as you looked up into his face. He was looking straight ahead, his eyelights brilliant cyan and gold as he practically kicked down the door to take you back outside.

As soon as the two of you were out of sight, he looked down at you and grinned softly.

“There’s another party going on right now in Underswap, actually. Do you wanna go?”

“I- what?”

“Well, more like a festival. It’s in Swap’s dimension! Don’t worry, we don’t have to talk to anyone if we don’t want to!” he grinned excitedly, “I know _all_ the secret places to hang out and spy on people!”

You gave a snort of laughter, teasing, “Spy? Are you a voyeur, Ink?”

“Baby, I’m a guardian, being a voyeur is kinda part of the package.”

You choked slightly, wheezing as he grinned at you playfully.

“I, uh, I have _concerns-”_

“No time for that! Let’s go!”

And Ink set you down before gripping his brush and smacking it against the ground.

The dark puddle of magic splashed loudly at your feet and you almost held your breath as Ink swept you into his arms again before slipping into the rift in reality again.

_You clung to him, your entire body glowing with a thrill you couldn’t begin to describe._

Light filtered into view again as Ink emerged with you into Underswap.

Immediately, you could tell it was evening and that the monsters were still underground, if the snow on the ground meant anything.

“C’mon!” Ink grinned as he raced on ahead and you almost laughed as you hiked up your skirt and ran after him, unworried about your costume. You knew none of the monster would be able to tell that you were a human either, since this time, _you_ were in disguise.

The lights in Snowdin were glowing brightly and you questioned Ink softly, “Is… is it Gyftmas?”

“You bet it is!” Ink chuckled, “C’mon, there’s some booths with cool stuff we can look at!”

You forgot about your anxiety as Ink excitedly took you from booth to booth, scooting past the monsters that tried to strike up conversation and carefully giving Grillby a generous tip for two cups of campfire tea.

“Don’t wanna stiff Grillby here in this Au, or you’ll get _burned.”_ Ink chuckled nervously and you had a feeling he was talking from experience.

He pulled you to the edge of Snowdin, where it turned into Waterfall, and you settled beside him on a mossy rock.

The air was cold, but the drink in your hand was warm… and coincidentally, so was your heart.

Looking over your shoulder, you noticed Ink sipping the tea slowly, his heterochromia eyes soft pastel colors of green and yellow. He was looking into space, his expression quiet and oddly composed.

“You ok, Ink?” You found yourself asking and he startled, looking down at you with a soft grin.

“Mmm? Why do you ask?”

“You…” You swallowed. “You said that… that being around Courtney leaves you feeling drained… is that how you feel around me?”

His mouth fell open and his sockets widened.

Instantly, he shook his head and nearly stuttered as he protested, “What? No! What makes you think that?”

“I, because you do so much to help me, I… And I’ve never given or done anything for you in return, I-”

You went _red_ as one of Ink’s phalanges landed against your mouth, causing you to stop mid-sentence as he looked into your eyes.

“Author, I _gave_ you one of my paper cranes because I… I _enjoy_ helping you. Your willingness to listen and the way you work to constantly improve yourself, it’s _invigorating.”_

He looked wistful as he added, with a soft laugh, “I’ve met a lot of creators, since being here… but no one treats me as though I’m _real_ the way you do.”

Your heart caught in your throat as he took his finger away from your lips, dipping it under your chin to tilt your face up towards his.

“If I could feel… I think I’d never want to leave your side.” 

Your heart skipped a beat. All your jealousy over Courtney vanished, even as Ink’s expression went mischievous and he let go of you, chortling as he wheezed, “But, you know, then you’d have to put up with me like, _all_ the time. Your gelato would never be safe again!”   
  


He gave another raucous laugh, and you giggled softly, your heart still fluttering even as a bittersweet feeling tingled down in your toes.

You recalled that time he had asked you why you didn’t hug him, and, in spite of the pain that hollowed out through your heart, you leaned against him, muttering softly, “It’d be worth it.”

Ink seemed to not hear you, and that was totally ok with you as he let you lean against him. The tea had long since been drunk, and as the shiny rocks in the ceiling twinkled down at you, you sighed, feeling so wistful. You couldn't stay sad, not when you were literally living a dream that so many undertale fans would kill for.

With that thought in mind, you looked at your skeleton friend. Fuck your feelings. You were glad for his friendship.

“Ink?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

Ink looked down at you, puzzled.

“For?”

You shrugged helplessly.

“Everything?”

Ink snickered, “That’s a lot, I don’t know what to do with all that gratitude.”

“Anyway I could repay you?” You giggled and Ink chuckled, his voice going low and deep. He leaned towards you and your heart pulsed like crazy.

“You could owe me a _favor_?”

You blinked, and your ovaries _screeched at you._

“I- like what?”

“You could give me that last container of gelato in the freezer when I take you home.” Ink grinned.

Your expression went flat.

“Not a chance.”  
  
  


Ink wheezed and pouted, pushing at you as he chortled, "Not so grateful after all, are you?"

"Leave my gelato alone, Ink!"

"Never!"

As Ink snickered and teased you, the bitterness in your mouth turned sweet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ^^* there may be three more chapters, and then that's all.

**Author's Note:**

> Hehehe, Author has a crush.


End file.
